Cabinet Office

The European Communities (Designation) Order 2020

Penny Mordaunt: An error has been identified in the laying letter for The European Communities (Designation) Order 2020, and as a result it was laid under an incorrect procedure. The Order should have been laid under the Negative Procedure but the laying letter indicated that there would be no parliamentary procedure. This was due to an administrative error.A correction has been issued under Votes and Proceedings 23 June 2020.The statutory instrument was laid on 27 May 2020 and the House authorities have agreed that they consider this instrument to be laid under the Negative Procedure from the date of laying. I wish to inform the House that the 40-day laying period ends on 3 July 2020. 


This statement has also been made in the House of Lords: 
HLWS317

Department for International Trade

Negotiations on the UK’s Future Trading Relationship with the US: Update

Elizabeth Truss: The second UK-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiating round took place from 15-26 June 2020.Talks continued to be positive and constructive, with progress being made towards a comprehensive agreement. Discussions spanned the majority of areas covered by the FTA, with further sessions coming over the next two weeks on the remaining major policy areas. This follows almost 20 intersessional meetings held in between rounds one and two.The Government is clear there is no set deadline for this agreement. Any deal the Government strikes must be fair, reciprocal and ultimately in the best interests of the British people and the economy. Furthermore, the Government remains clear on protecting the NHS and not compromising on the UK's high environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety standards.During the round, talks advanced across a number of chapters and teams are now into detailed discussions on text.There was good progress on a dedicated SME chapter. This included agreement that the next formal UK-US SME Dialogue will be held in Boston in October 2020.UK negotiators also underlined the importance of high ambition on services, with financial services particularly vital to any final agreement.On professional business services, both sides agreed to go further than existing precedent and agree provisions that reflect the strength of the UK-US relationship. This included a discussion on how best to support regulators pursue closer collaboration on the recognition of qualifications and licencing.There was also discussion of specific proposals that might benefit the legal services sector.More work needs to be done and both sides committed in the round to a full programme of engagement ahead of round three. Talks scheduled over the coming weeks include rules of origin, market access, digital, telecoms, intellectual property and business mobility.The third negotiating round is expected to take place at the end of July.Below is a summary list of those areas discussed in the round, which continued to take place through video conferencing:General CoordinationTrade RemediesServices Sectors – Professional Business ServicesSmall and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)Services Sectors - TransportAnti-CorruptionCompetitionCross cutting servicesFinancial ServicesGood Regulatory Practice (GRP)Customs & Trade FacilitationSanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS)InvestmentLegal Group - Core TextSectoral AnnexesEnvironmentState Owned EnterprisesTechnical Barriers to TradeOther issues – including innovation and women’s economic empowermentEconomics  


This statement has also been made in the House of Lords: 
HLWS318